The present invention relates to the cooling of grinding wheels used in grinding processes.
Grinding is a manufacturing process where a rotating grinding wheel, made from hard abrasive grain, is used to machine a metallic or ceramic part into a precise form. To achieve this, the grinding wheel wears in the process and heat is also generated. Liquid coolant, applied by a nozzle, is used to remove the heat from the process and provide lubrication, and must be critically aimed at the grinding region. As the grinding wheel wears, the coolant nozzle aim gradually strays from the ideal position, leading to undesirable dimensional and material structure changes to the component, and a greater wear rate of the grinding wheel. As the grinding wheel wears it also gets dull and a diamond dressing process is typically used to restore the sharpness and roundness of the wheel.
To accommodate these changes to the grinding wheel, the machine operator would typically redirect the coolant nozzle from time to time, which can be subjective, infrequent, and imprecise.